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¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Florence 466
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 And before his election was enjoying the title of Duke of Aoste, from an insignificant little place in the north western part of Italy- upon our arrival the city was gay with flags evergreen arches and flowers but this evening they are being removed.
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 1 9th [December 1870] we have had a grand treat today in visiting the studios of American sculptors. No guide book or Directory gives their address, but Henry takes us to the studio of Hiram Powers and that courteous gentleman directs us to many others. To reach it we cross the Arno, up a mile through the older part of the city, through the neat little yard in which his hansome residence is situated, to the ‘atelier’ in the rear, where he soon meets us and begins a social chat without awaiting an introduction.
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 A bright eyed old gentleman (66 as he admitted to us) wearing a linnen [sic] apron and studio cap. “Powers Greek Slave” has a world wide reputation, and now he shows us two more figures destined to win for him honors and profit “Eve” and an “Indian maiden”, the first and last of the race, but his greatest success has been in the modelling of faces in which he has but few, if any, equals, and charges a higher price than any other sculptor here $1000 Gold.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 We saw many models of prominent Americans who were being or had been “busted”- Among them were his wife and two
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 [-Amedio 1st -]
Hiram Powers (1805 – 1873) was an American neoclassical sculptor.In 1837 he settled in Florence, where he remained till his death, though he did travel to England during this time. He developed a thriving business in portraiture and “fancy” parlor busts, but he also devoted his time to creating life-size, full-figure ideal subjects, many of which were also isolated as a bust. In 1839 his statue of Eve excited the warm admiration of Bertel Thorvaldsen, and in 1843 he produced his celebrated statue The Greek Slave, which at once gave him a place among the leading sculptors of his time. It was exhibited at the centre of the Crystal Palace Exhibition and Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a sonnet on it. The sculpture The Greek Slave became an abolitionist cause and copies of it appeared in many Union-supporting state houses.